Is Your Horse Truly Happy?
Take This Short Quiz to Find Out!
We all want our horses to feel relaxed, happy, and understood.
But sometimes it can be hard to step back and look at the little things that shape their everyday life.
This short quiz is a simple way to reflect on your horse’s routine, environment, comfort, enrichment, and connection with you.
It’s not about getting everything perfect.
It’s about noticing what’s already going well, spotting small areas you might improve, and finding gentle ways to make life more joyful for both of you.
💫 Let’s take a closer look at your horse’s happiness, one question at a time…
(Record your answers of A, B, or C for each question)
1. Does your horse have friends (besides you)?
a. Nope
b. Yes, one or more other animals (eg, cow, goat, donkey)
c. Yes, one or more other horses
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2. How physically active is your horse?
a. Not active at all. My horse is in its barn all the time
b. I try to provide my horse with daily exercises (eg, lunging, riding)
c. My horse is super active, having a lot of space to walk and run 24/7!
🐴
3. How would you describe your horse’s diet?
a. My horse eats twice a day
b. My horse eats several times a day and gets some hay
c. My horse has full-time access to grass or hay
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4. Does your horse have access to fresh, clean water?
a. To be honest, sometimes I forget to keep it clean
b. I try to change the water at least once a week
c. Yes. My horse has access to fresh, clean water every day
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5. Do you scratch your horse regularly?
a. Nope. I don’t have time for that
b. Yeah! At least once a week
c. Yes, every day, and I know my horse’s favorite scratching spot!
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6. Do you know your horse’s normal vital signs?
a. eh? What’s a vital sign?
b. I only take my horse’s vital signs when he is sick or injured
c. Absolutely. I know his normal temperature, respiration, and heart rate
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7. Has your horse ever tried to kick or bite you or another person?
a. Actually, it happens quite a lot
b. It has happened once or twice
c. Nope! My horse is really good around people
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8. Does your horse have any toys?
a. Nope – do they even like that kind of stuff?
b. Yes, a few
c. Yes, many toys – from balls to puzzles
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9. How often do you groom your horse?
a. I never groom my horse
b. Sometimes. Usually, if we are going out
c. I groom my horse regularly and use his favorite brush
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10. What do you do if your horse misbehaves?
a. I punish him. I have to show him who’s boss
b. I look for a reason why but also make sure he does what I say
c. I look for a reason why and also at ways that I can change what I am doing
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11. Does your horse have regular checkups from the farrier and dentist?
a. No. My horse doesn’t need to see the farrier or dentist
b. Only when it is absolutely necessary
c. Yes. My horse has regular visits from the farrier and dentist
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12. How do you teach your horse something new?
a. I show him what to do, and if he doesn’t do it, he gets a smack
b. I use pressure and release to explain what I want
c. I use rewards and simple steps to explain what I want him to do
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13. How much gear / tack does your horse need to wear?
a. My horse needs to wear a lot of tack
b. We try lots of different bits and tack to see what works best
c. We keep it very simple. We use training rather than gadgets to get results
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14. How often do you spend time just hanging out with your horse?
a. When I’m with my horse, he has to be working!
b. We spend a bit of time when I’m feeding him or doing chores
c. We make time each week just to hang out together with no agenda
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15. Does your horse get to learn and try new things?
a. Nope. We just stick with the same things
b. Sometimes. I try to add a bit of variety to what we do
c. All the time. We are constantly learning new things together
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Count how many A, B, or C answers you got then…